News Archive

R.C. “Bobby” and Ramona Hext Scholarship established

The Lamar University Foundation has announced the establishment of a new endowed scholarship for all majors. The R.C. “Bobby” and Ramona Hext Scholarship will provide funding for full-time undergraduate students at Lamar University. Cynthia Hext Fontenot, the daughter of Bobby and Ramona Hext, established the scholarship in memory of her parents.

“Growing up in the 1950s and graduating high school in 1969, college was always a part of my parents’ plan for me and my plan for myself,” Fontenot said. “They worked hard and sacrificed much to pay for my education. I am establishing this scholarship to honor that hard work and sacrifice, as well as help future Lamar students.”

Cynthia graduated from Lamar in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and eventually received an MBA in accounting in 1979. She taught principles of accounting at Lamar for 20 years, and credits her parents with making her education and career possible.

“We got a call one day out of the blue from Cynthia, who was a Lamar faculty member for several years,” said Laurie Ritchel, associate director of development for university advancement. “She just really wanted to do something to give back to her parents and honor their memories, and an endowed scholarship is what she decided to do.”

Bobby and Ramona Hext were both born in 1928. Bobby was from Bon Wier, and Ramona from Martin, Louisiana. Bobby graduated from Newton High School in 1945 and went straight to work. He worked for his father’s gas station, and also as a muleskinner for loggers. These jobs led to a 45-year career in lease pumping, where he maintained and kept records on producing oil and gas wells.

Ramona grew up in a small village where her father was a poultry and egg farmer, and grew cotton and other crops. Ramona and her sister helped with picking cotton around the farm, and were no strangers to hard work. When Ramona did have free time, she spent the majority of it playing “teacher”. Her father noticed this, and promised to send her to college. She graduated from Northwestern University in Natchitoches, La. with a home economics degree.

Her first teaching job was in Merryville, La., which is six miles from Bon Wier, Bobby’s hometown. Bobby and Ramona met there, and eventually got married in August 1950. She also taught at Newton High School for several years.

For more information about establishing an endowed scholarship, contact the Lamar University Foundation at (409) 880-2117.